1.15.2011 SPOKEN!：小塚崇彦・無良崇人・佐野隼規

この放送はいつものスケート番組が注目するトップ選手の練習場面やプライベートのシーンではなく、友情を中心とした物でとても良かったと思いました。全日本チャンピヨンである小塚崇彦選手がメインになるのが当然だと思うかもしれませんが、彼の人見知りさもあり、圧倒的なスターがない素晴らしい話が伝わるように作られた放送でした。

小塚選手が１０歳位の時から仲良くしている佐野隼規選手が大学卒業した際スケートから引退し、社会人になると決めていたので、最後のインカレをどうしても優勝したかったそうです。世界選手権優勝を目指している選手に取ってはインカレは時間の無駄と思うかもしれませんが、小塚選手は佐野選手の夢を支えるために参加しました。

「隼規が引退だから、やっぱり優勝して引退したいかなと思って、、、」

小塚選手の優しさに感心してしまいました。

出会った当時の写真。超可愛い！

この話を聞いて笑いました：

佐野選手：野辺山の合宿でジャム塗って怒られたんだよね
小塚選手：部屋で、、、ちょっと、絶対昆虫、、、こんだけ田舎だから昆虫いるだろうって話になって、昆虫を探すんだったら取りあえずジャム塗ったら来るんじゃないかって、、、


小塚選手：４日間位放置してたんですよ。
佐野選手：こびり付いちゃってね、虫一切来ないし、最終日に歯ブラシで掃除して、、、
小塚選手：歯ブラシでガーってこすって、、、

いかにも男の子らしくて面白い〜選手として道がどんどん離れて行ってもこの２人の関係が全く変わってないのが何か良かったです。

ちなみにインカレはこのように点が付けられています：


ショートプログラムでは残念ながら佐野選手がジャンプを全てミスして、１６位に終わりました。しかし、全日本選手権で５位だった無良崇人選手が２位、勿論小塚選手が１位で、中京大学が暫定１位に立ちました。


小塚選手が滑る前にこんな場面もありました：

佐藤コーチが来ていなかったので、背中を叩くのは佐野選手の責任になりました。小塚選手があの仕草をそこまで大切にしていたとは知らなかったです^_^

１位だったが、小塚選手は得意とするルッツをステップアウトしてしまいました。終わった後、バックステージでww：


小塚選手と無良選手は１位と２位以上にはなれないので、中京大学が優勝するためには佐野選手が順位を上げるしかなかったです。それで見事にフリーのジャンプを決め、フリーでは６位に入りました。観てて何だか彼のために嬉しくなってしまいました。

驚いたのは佐野選手の息の白さ！そこまで寒いリンクで皆戦ったな〜と感心しました。

小塚選手は４回転のトーループに成功しました。インカレでは滅多に見ない技ですよね〜プレッシャーの中で無良選手も奇麗に滑り、この２人はまた１位と２位に立ちました。それで中京大学の優勝が決定！


終わって総合得点の紙を眺めながらこんな会話もありました：

佐野選手：（４２点中）俺７点なんだ
小塚選手：７点大きい！７点大きい！だって昨日以上上がれないもん、こっちの２人、、、
佐野選手：そっか。そうだよね。
小塚選手：どんだけ頑張っても。キャプテンにかかってたからマジで！
佐野選手：危ない危ない。
小塚選手：そのプレッシャーを乗り切っての優勝だから、完璧！

小塚選手、優しい！！

Japanese Nationals 2010: The Restoration of a Champion, Part II

Things are so much easier to watch when you know the outcome...

I know that there are various, well-informed figure skating observers who would disagree, but I actually don't really like Akiko Suzuki's skating. It's true, she has good musicality--great, I would even say, for an Asian--but there is a vague sloppiness to her jumps that is off-putting. Her complete lack of a personality doesn't help either. I can forgive the odd pairing that is this white dress with the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack, since it's absurd that she would try to actually portray anything from it anyway, and the style of the music actually suits her perfectly.

However, Akiko's clean jumps still seemed low to me, and there was a wild, rushed quality to them. She didn't quite warm up to the audience and sell her program until the step sequence at the end, which I do have to commend her for attacking. In any case, she is the latest sacrificial skater for Japan, and this time she made it easier for everyone by botching several key jumps.

In stark contrast to this study in tragedy is Kanako Murakami, who is the latest possessor of a bandwagon. I'm all for youth and smiles, but her technique worries me a lot. Her triple toe + triple toe combination is solid, but her Lutz will become a major problem soon. She is super fast, though--look at how the advertisements around the rink are blurred on camera! I loved her triple flip + double Axel sequence, and other than the generics, I really like her music choice. The Mask of Zorro plays to her speed and youthful energy while using a mature sound to help her grow as a performer. Mao Asada's debut senior free skate was done to the Nutcracker in a pink and white puffy dress. It was cute and worked well for her, but Kanako's equivalent program here feels more mature.

Kanako's expression at the end says it all--she's young, she's new, and she's here to take it all. Love it.

It is kind of fitting that Kanako's idol, mentor, friend, and sister figure Mao would be next. Now, I know that some of Mao's costuming choices have been pretty suspect (I think the last dress I really liked was from 2007, aside from her exhibition dresses...), and that people have continued to hate her current season's styles, but I actually love this periwinkle. It's elegant, sparkly, modest, and mature. It has a softness that matches the music, and it just works.

What stands out for me in this program is Mao's artistry. Earlier in the season, when her jumps completely abandoned her, it was difficult to make heads or tails of her skating in general, but now that they are mostly back but still not her strong point, the strength of the rest of her skating becomes evident. Her lines, the way she carries her arms, her knees... lovely. Speaking of jumps, though, I'm not convinced of the wisdom of planning a triple Axel in the second half of her program.

Although the triple Lutz received an edge call, it looked better than it initially did. It will probably never be as fixed as Tatiana Tarasova claimed, but we all can dream, I suppose. And, oh dear god--her spirals were gorgeous. And she actually smiled.

Nationals are such a magical stage for Mao. Look at the mess on the ice! Those little girls are working overtime to deal with the love of an entire country. It's actually kind of hilarious to watch. Welcome back!

I wouldn't call Risa Shoji's position particularly envious. Not only does she have to skate right after Mao, the coloring of her dress is similar but lesser. The direct comparison allowed me to realize--or rather to remember--that she is actually quite young.

Risa has incredible speed, and it's unfortunate that the pressure seemed to get to her in her early jumps. She also seemed a little more withdrawn than in the short program, which is not altogether surprising but also not necessarily typical of a junior fresh up the ranks. When she was fifteen, Mao used to seem completely blind to where she was placed after the short, and just skate with incredible reckless abandon. That's gone now, and this is where she's ended up.

Actually, Risa might benefit from choosing more dramatic music until she can define her own artistry and style--the quiet quality sometimes seemed to allow her skating to become lost. It'll all come together, though.

I almost skipped Fumie Suguri, but then I realized that earlier in the season Rafael sent me a picture of her with a weird head sash, and I knew I just had to watch. Sadly, the sash has been ditched, but the rest of her costume has not.

Fumie has surprising speed in her skating, and her straight-line footwork sequence had good energy to it, but to me there's nothing that really stands out in her performances. It pains me to think about all the money she spends on her career now.

I am appalled by the margin with which Miki Ando won. I'm not particularly appalled that she won--I don't have a very strong opinion on this either way--but there is no reason for a 10-point difference. Come on. The fact that Miki beat Mao even in the PCS is really troubling.

After a string of really hideous costumes, Miki looks fairly decent in this dress. There is a jarring quality to many of her jumps--I'm not sure what it is--but at least they were done cleanly. What bothers me most, though, is that Miki could essentially be skating to any music and you wouldn't really know the difference. There are moments in this program when she tries to be soft and to emote a graceful elegance, and I appreciate that, but as a whole Miki is simply just heavy to watch.

Miki's reaction at the end of her program was what left the greatest impression on me. Far too often in recent years, she's failed to live up to her hype, and has always looked disappointed at the end of her performances while blaming her shoulder or her back or her leg or whatever it is that is currently bothering her. This time, though, there was none of that. She was satisfied, plain and simple, and while I would have been able to warm more to her had she celebrated in giddiness instead of this aggressive glare, it's still refreshing and reassuring to see her actually pleased with herself for once.

The commentators need to calm down, though. Her skating wasn't so great that you'd want to watch it forever.

Japanese Nationals 2010: A Long Time Coming, Part II

Continuing quickly, following the starting order:

In a word, this performance was all guts. After the short program and the collision injury that lay behind it, Daisuke Takahashi's attitude to go out and attack this free skate and defend his honor as reigning World Champion was pretty incredible. With the exception of his opening quad flip, which is an unbelievable jump to even attempt in competition, and popped double Salchow at the end, all of his jumps were clean, without any of the stops or shortness that marred his short program. As usual the step sequences were the highlight of Daisuke's performance, and I loved how his transition into his headless scratch spin in his final combination spin was perfectly matched to the music.

I was actually surprised he lost even the free skate to Takahiko Kozuka, especially considering Takahiko's two falls, but then I checked the protocol and realized that his quad flip had been downgraded to a triple, and then given a -3 GOE. Ouch. Regardless, though, this was the performance of the night. The commentators are right--there is some special power that comes from him, and without it things just aren't the same. These four and a half minutes flew by, and he is a champion with life experience.

By the way, Tonia Kwiatkowski can stop being so bitter--Daisuke Murakami was only eighth.

This is typically the moment when Takahiko loses his head and subsequently his short program position, so to say I was concerned is a serious understatement. This title needed to happen for him, though, not only because I love his skating but because he needs to find a way to believe that he is among the best in the world.

Deep purple and black seem to be Takahiko's unofficial official colors. It is quite a contrast to Daisuke's flashiness and works well for him, just as all of Daisuke's rhinestones and open collars and frills more or less accentuate his performance ability.

As usual I loved his triple Axel(s), and I was fascinated by the delay that seemed to happen in the instant before he tapped into his triple Lutz. The double toe loop he did in combination with it was kind of a girly decision (sorry), but it got the job done. Also girly was his awkward three-jump combination: triple Axel + double toe + single loop. Mao Asada, your future wife if I controlled this world, could do that combination. I was a little surprised that Takahiko could still get credit for a triple Lutz + triple toe combination in the second half of the program after his attempt in the beginning, but I'm not altogether clear on all of the rules (though probably more so than, say, Nobunari Oda) and now that I think about it, double Axels and triple Axels are considered different jumps, so. The fall on the final triple Salchow was unfortunate, but everything about it just screamed wasted nervous energy. Hopefully he'll learn, especially since he managed to keep up his stroking, step sequence, and spin speed until the very end.

I was hoping I could find a clip of the moment Takahiko becomes National Champion, but so far I've come up with nothing.

Oh hey, new flavor of the month. Your free skate costume is even worse than your short program costume, but I'll forgive it and your necklaces because you are still so damn adorable. (Edit: I just looked up Yuzuru Hanyu on Wiki to see if he's actually Christian, but instead of finding that information I instead found that in 2007 he modeled his hairstyle after Evgeny Plushenko's, and that this season Johnny Weir had a hand in designing his costumes. I feel validated in my assessment of Yuzuru's costumes before knowing this information, but at the same time this all makes him rather questionable. By the way, a moment after I gave up on finding the original information, the commentator said that Yuzuru's cross is actually a good-luck move to keep his shoulders level. Huh.)

I'm not sure how many times I've seen a jump end in a split fall, but I have to admit it was kind of graceful. I enjoyed his second triple Axel, and the rest of his jumps were fine, except the final triple Salchow attempt. It was a little bit Takahiko-like in how the program played out, complete with a missed quad attempt, an unnecessary fall, and an unfortunate triple Salchow.

Although I prefer Takahiko, of course, Yuzuru actually has a much better innate performance ability that will probably threaten Takahiko's status as the heir apparent to the No. 1 position four years from now, assuming Yuzuru can get his jumps together under pressure. I also really admire Yuzuru's lines and speed across the ice, but unfortunately in this performance the little technical mistakes crept in and added up, leaving him in fourth place by quite a margin. The disappointment on his face after he finished made me want to hug him again. No matter, though. It's all a learning experience in the first year of the new Olympic cycle. Welcome to the craziness!

Is it bad that I wanted to laugh when the commentators mentioned that what Nobunari Oda was most disappointed in after his short program was his weak mentality going in? I'd be quite interested to see the moments of his mental strength. Although he fell on his quad attempt (so that's 0 for 4 for all of the top men, I think?), Nobunari seriously makes it look like he lands his triple Axels on clouds instead of ice. It's rather unfortunate that he fell on the second one, but he made up for it with great jumps otherwise. Of course he simply does not have the excitement of Daisuke or the pure endearingness that is Takahiko and now Yuzuru, but he was good enough to do enough.

Yet despite this relative success, it's impossible to ignore that he seriously needs to learn how to hold up under pressure. Six falls between the top two finishers, and four from Nobunari? Come on. The commentators remarked that the tension swallowed him, and that he dislikes being the last to skate. Tough. Cookies.

Rostelecom Cup 2010: Exciting Pairs?!

Happy December! I will open this month with the second installment of my Grand Prix retrospection: the Rostelecom Cup, or, as it should always be known, Cup of Russia. I'm glad that there are companies out there still stupid or naive or kind enough to sponsor figure skating events, but "Rostelecom Cup" is just such a terrible name. The organizers know it, too, seeing as they still embedded "Cup of Russia" in the middle of the rink.

Partly redeeming this name is, surprisingly, the pairs event. Lately pairs has been my least favorite discipline, but this time it was the one that contained the pleasant surprises. Before I can get there, however, I feel obligated to sit through the shuffling mess that was the ladies.

I've tried to like Miki Ando. I really have. Yet for all my countless hours of watching this sport, I cannot understand why the majority of my country finds her so cute. I don't understand why her jumps are such a big deal when she is in tears trying to come up with excuses half the time, and her lack of artistry is a perpetual annoyance. And I'm just going to pretend I don't know who Nikolai Morozov is, even though that's impossible.

I actually kind of like the music Miki uses in her short program; it has a catchy tempo, beat, and power, and helps mask her lack of lyricality. Her performance was fairly uninspired, though, and that patch on her back was beyond distracting. Even at full speed her triple flip looked underrotated to my very informally trained eye (although there is no reason to give her a -3 GOE, random judge).

It's rare that I can find a figure skating performance aired in a language I understand, haha. I like keeping things in this blog uniform, but not so much so that I'll pass up a Japanese broadcast. Anyway, Miki's patch seemed to have grown overnight, and by Nationals I'm sure it will be large enough to explain any defeat she may suffer. On a positive note, it seems that Miki's fashion sense has exponentially improved this season, though perhaps at Mao's expense.

The music she uses in this program is completely different from her short program's, and it looks like she's really trying to improve her artistry. She doesn't quite succeed--she completely ignores the most dramatic part of the music because she's too busy backloading her program with jumps--but at least she's trying, I guess? And her jumps are nothing to laugh at--the solo triple Lutz was huge.

Ah, Akiko Suzuki. Another skater I have tried and failed to like. What am I supposed to do, now that Yukari Nakano has retired and the real Mao Asada is nowhere to be found? Akiko's one-armed Biellmann was seriously ugly and made me miss Mao even more. Akiko does get credit, though, for pushing through hard times and squeezing the best out of her talent and opportunities.

How refreshing it is to see a coach and his skater keep a healthy distance between them in the Kiss & Cry. I also didn't realize that Hiroshi Nagakubo was so old.

Hrm, so I guess Russian short program video-Japanese free skate video is the theme for this post. The first thing I noticed about Akiko's costume here is that it helps her look more cute than usual, although Fiddler on the Roof is anything but cute and I am not a fan of the single-shoulder look that seems to be going on these days.

This is a great program for her--it accentuates how delicate and quietly expressive Akiko can be. The contrasting energetic highs help bring out her inner energy and smile, and she manages to keep up her speed to match until the end. Her jump positions could be better, but she seems to be constantly improving and watching her sort of makes me warm and happy.

The parade of skaters of whom I am not a fan continues. Ashley Wagner seems to have tried to go the chic and mature route in her short program, although her artistry--or her skating in general--has not evolved to match. Maybe all the too-dark foundation on her face was weighing her down, but her first two jumping passes were not quite perfect and she doesn't seem to have a presence on the ice. Simply put, I enjoyed the music, but not her performance.

Oh dear, what a bad, bad idea. This music immediately conjures images of Sasha Cohen's short program from many seasons ago, and even with Sasha's mistakes it is just not possible for Ashley to measure up. She even seems to steal some of the choreography wholesale, which is an even worse idea. To top it all off, she even includes a fall. Amazing.

Now, I haven't had the chance to like or dislike Agnes Zawadzki yet, but the signs seem to point to dislike. Her jumps are rather nice, but she is a product of the Colorado training center and looks like Amber Corwin. She is far more interesting than her training mate Rachael Flatt, but there was nothing particularly memorable about this program.

Her free skate, though, was why I bothered to watch her at all this competition--who can ignore such a spectacular meltdown? Agnes looked more mature in this program than in her short, but this also had three more falls and various other messes. How she manages to smile at the end is beyond my understanding, but good for her, I suppose.

And now that that's done, I can now move on to the whole point of this post.

No matter how many times I read the name to myself, I can't get used to "Kavaguti." Seriously, woman, have you no standards? I remember several years ago when Terry Gannon mentioned that Yuko Kawaguchi, as she was then thankfully known, did not want to give up her Japanese citizenship just to go to the Olympics representing Russia. Well, it seems like she threw that all out the window and then some. She'd better hope there's a Russian man waiting to marry her, because no Japanese man with an ounce of sense is going to.

I can't make much sense out of Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov's short program music choice. It's what is played at like, opening ceremonies and at particularly dramatic moments in Japanese variety shows. It doesn't make for great figure skating performances. Neither do Alexander's pants, for that matter. Yuko fought for each and every landing, and somehow the pair managed to come out on top. The memory of their coach's death glare is probably still very fresh.

From one overplayed piece to another. Alexander's wedding ring stands out more than any other skater's I've ever seen, except maybe Mark Ladwig's. The unison on their side-by-side spins was basically perfect, and as usual they had impressive pair elements that Yuko fought to control. Of course, my favorite part--just like everybody else--is where Alexander goes in to bite Yuko's neck, and she lies in his ars with a glassy, frozen expression. This is seriously not an attractive pair.

I'd seen Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran's names at various junior international competitions over the past few seasons, but this was the first time I ever watched them skate. Okay, so this pair is only half Japanese, so there's still a lot of ground to break when it comes to pairs skating in Japan, but it's a huge step forward.

Did the Russian commentator seriously say "Bublah" for "Bublé"? That would really make my day.

Anyway, Narumi & Mervin's split triple twist was huge, and their side-by-side-spins, though not perfectly in unison, were super fast. They're not quite expressive and still somewhat juniorish, but their elements are solid. Potential! Potential! Unbelievable. Now if only Japanese ice dancers existed...

Narumi better not be the next Keauna McLaughlin. Just saying.

This program didn't do much to grab my attention, either, but again, it's very refreshing and reassuring to see that a Japanese pairs team may one day emerge internationally after all.

God, I love this pair. Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig are actually energetic and mature with each other, and the transformation of their costumes following last season's successes is dramatic. It's obvious that (for the first time ever?) they were custom-made, and it really helps them look like they belong. They even saved the best for last, placing a teaser bit of one of their signature lifts near the end of their program.

Their free skate costumes had a bit of last-season feel to it, but no matter. Amanda & Mark are skating with a new confidence this season, minus Amanda's obligatory fall, and it's wonderful. Nessun Dorma needs to be retired, and Amanda & Mark need to channel their new confidence into finding their own music. They did, however, make a real effort into doing the overplayed piece justice with their spot-on double Axel sequence and huge lifts. Mark's reaction during their bows and in the Kiss & Cry is priceless. It's great that even Jim Peterson can get into the camera mugging. Their hugs at the end are adorable. Love, love. This kind of closeness is okay. Nikolai, take note.

Skate Canada 2010: From One Mess To Another

We all knew Trophée Eric Bompard wold more or less end up the way it did, right? Now that the Grand Prix events are finally and mercifully over, and all that's left is the Final in 10 days, I thought I would take the opportunity to look back on the competitions that I initially ignored out of concern for myself. First up: Skate Canada.

I will happily cover both the best and the worst, but in this case only the men's event is worth mentioning. Any event that Alissa Czisny can win (and that Fumie Suguri insists on entering) is possibly beyond 'worst' status, and both the pairs and ice dance events look too boring to even think about.

Of course I have to start with Patrick Chan. Two obvious things I did not realize about him: 1) He is still only 19 and 2) He is a two-time World silver medalist. One not-so-obvious thing I had to look up about him: 1) He is fully Chinese.

This program is remarkable for its ability to earn unearned points. How a skater can miss two of three required jumping passes and still score high enough for third place (even at a Grand Prix event) is beyond me. Even these commentators, who talk way too much, are initially at a loss for words after the missed triple Axel. I'll admit that he has good speed in his stroking and in his spins, but the magical Canadian bonus is just too much.

So actually, his placement is not beyond me. It's very easy: just keep on adding PCS points until the desired score and rank are reached. Of course the commentator says, "Three falls, and I'm not worried." Why should he be?

But my biggest problem? I'm so jaded that I can't even get angry about this.

Disguising an overused piece of music by changing the instruments and the tempo isn't fooling anyone except maybe the Canadians. The unbearably biased commentators proudly crowed that Patrick "answered another question" by landing a quad toe loop, which was admittedly very good, but moments later had to face the fact that their chosen boy was down on the ice yet again after a failed triple Axel. The ability of the commentators to continue to finding positive--and occasionally flatly wrong--things to say might be even more remarkable than the score this mess of a performance receives. Only one clean jumping pass in the entire program, and he skates away with a smile and a gold medal. "Still some rough edges"? That's putting it mildly, buddy.

Patrick Chan rivals Yuna Kim when it comes to blind adoration.

I am no fan of Nobunari Oda, seriously, but his knees are like butter. He doesn't have the excitement that Patrick Chan has, especially in Canada, but his jumps are to die for. Nobunari's costumes and music occasionally make me want to die, but that's another story.

The Russian commentators are so mercifully quiet...

I actually kind of like this costume, I think. I also like this music much better than his short program choice, but I'm afraid it's not exciting enough to help him disguise his sheer lack of artistry and musicality. He also has a strange free leg position on the entrance to his triple Axels, which I noticed just moments before he fell on one. There's not much else to say except that Nobunari deserved more, but it's just the way skating goes. At least now everybody knows that one fall is far more costly than four falls and five stepouts. The complete lack of emotion on his face as a mask for his utter confusion, disappointment, and annoyance is amazing.

By the way, if you watch the Gala, Nobunari is introduced as "He's a new dad, and the rising son of Japan!" Wow, no.

Do I approve of Adam Rippon's laughably fake attempts to portray Romeo? No, of course not. But his skating is so gorgeous I could almost overlook that. Once he got through the triple Axel I knew the rest would be smooth sailing, and it was.

His double-armed Lutz in the short program was a little less than pretty, but Adam's first Lutz in his free skate was pure beauty. I draw the line at that ugly one-armed three-jump combination, though. Just no. His knees aren't quite as soft as Nobunari's, but his increasingly evident gayness allows him to feel the music so much more. I'm not even going to bother comparing their placements, since it's obvious that their respective strengths are different, and in the end the only determinant in their markings was how to enable Patrick to win.

All in all, this was a fairly forgettable competition, minus the eye-roll outrage that was Patrick Chan. I guess I'm glad I watched it, a month late.

Skate America 2010: Long Overdue...

I've been meaning to write this post for over a week, and now Cup of Russia has come and gone and Trophée Eric Bompard is knocking, so there's not much I can do now other than to sit down among the various food preparations going on and relive the hot mess that the Ladies Free Skate was.

The commentators opened Viktoria Helgesson's performance by talking about how her sister Joshi was "one of the big surprises" in the Short Program the day before. That sure must be encouraging, though I guess there's not much you can say when someone is currently in last place. After taking an age and a half to take her opening pose, Viktoria--whose clockwise jumping is kind of distracting--landed a mediocre triple Lutz. She then did a triple flip + double toe combination, which Tonia Kwiatkowski called "strong" but also seriously lacked any flow out, and a nice combination spin. Viktoria's triple loop was her best jump of the program, but her circular step sequence was slow and uninspiring. Her spiral sequence very lacking in extension, but she pulled off a nice triple toe loop at the end of it. Viktoria put a hand down on the triple loop of her triple loop + double toe combination, forcing her to do a single toe loop for the second jump instead, but then her program seemed to miraculously gain energy.

Viktoria's second combination spin was much faster than the first, and her triple Salchow was nicely landed. She then went into a double Axel + double Axel sequence, and although the landing of the second double Axel was off the music helped carry things along in the final seconds. Her last spin had the speed and energy level of her first, but all in all this was a huge improvement from any last-place program. (However, not such an improvement that I can accept that this was a third-place free skate. The Grand Prix is a disaster.)

Side note: Tonia Kwiatkowski mentions that Viktoria forced the single toe loop at the end of her triple loop because she had already done a solo triple loop earlier in the program. So this mediocre skater can manage that thought process, but Nobunari Oda cannot? Come on.

Like mother, like daughter.

I decided to skip things until Amelie Lacoste, whom I've never heard of until this competition. She began with a nice double Axel + double Axel sequence, with good speed and flow. She kept this speed up through a triple loop + double loop combination, but then badly popped a triple Lutz. Undeterred, Amelie did a nice combination spin right after, then successfully fought for the landing of a triple flip. Spins seem to be her strength--she did another pretty combination spin--but choreography and original music choice are not. Sheherazade? I don't think so.

Amelie then did a decent enough triple loop + double loop combination, but her spiral "sequence" was a simple arabesque without any variations in position. This is probably what Dick Button wants to see, but her flexibility is limited and there were no extra points to be gained. This was followed by a fall on a triple toe loop, an unremarkable step sequence, a triple loop popped into a double, and a final combination spin. Amelie lost a lot of speed and energy near the end of the program, which made my overall impression sort of dull.

After two unimpressive performance I was a little excited to see Caroline Zhang--not because I expected anything spectacular, but because you never know what excitement will happen. She seems to have gained not an insignificant amount of weight, which I feel bad saying but is unavoidable. Promisingly, though, Caroline started with a good triple flip + double toe combination without the famous mule kick. Yet in the next instant, this all fell to pieces as she landed a triple Lutz popped into an underrotated, wrong-edged double in a split. Yes, this is exactly the kind of excitement I was waiting for.


At first I'd thought that Caroline had gained some speed compared to last season, but that seems to have been a 30-second illusion. To her credit, she muscled out a double Axel right after her spectacular Lutz, but as usual she essentially came to a dead stop before it. Her two combination spins were uninspiring and a little bit slow, but then she at least landed a triple loop. Caroline's first smile briefly appeared during her spiral sequence, during which she showed off some of what used to be her trademark flexibility, but she then singled an attempted triple flip. After this was a stepped-out triple loop, a very slow step sequence, and a second dead-stop double Axel. Her final combination spin was the highlight of her performance, as she had some pretty layback positions and good speed (until her final Biellmann). Topped with a shrug in the Kiss & Cry, it was a typical Caroline Zhang performance. It's hard to say why she was so smiley.




Next came a different type of disaster: Rachael Flatt. Remarkably, she looks no thinner than Caroline Zhang. Rachael opened with a slightly forward-leaning double Axel + triple toe combination, some arm-waving, and a triple Lutz + double toe combination. An awkward combination spin highlighted the inflexibility in her back, and then came a seriously gross series of moves meant to play to the audience.

I guess this is effort.

After that interlude she went back to her own character and landed a nice triple flip, then went through the motions of a combination spin and an ugly spiral sequence.

Her full extension.

She did make up for some of that with a nice triple Lutz and a triple flip + double toe + double loop combination. Rachael's solo triple loop was also good, but then she started dancing again through her straight-line step sequence. The problem, though, is that she doesn't know how to involve the audience in this dancing--Daisuke Takahashi often does similarly silly moves, but he somehow makes it exciting. Her final jump, a triple Salchow, was also solid, and for some reason the audience got very into her performance at this point. The end result? A standing ovation. Really? Was Skate America that bad? Seriously, I know that I'm not quite objective when it comes to Rachael Flatt, but it's offensive that she's the reigning US National Champion.

Joshi Helgesson, the "surprising" one of the Helgesson sisters, then skated wearing a somewhat outdated dress. She opened with a good triple Lutz, triple loop, and a triple toe + double toe combination. Nothing was spectacular in either sense. Everything seemed just a step slow, which really made her triple Lutz + double toe combination quite difficult to do and watch. Joshi's spins and step sequences were equally flat. A possibly two-footed triple toe loop was followed by a combination spin, an awkward double Axel + double toe combination, and a final double Axel. Her jump repertoire seems to be somewhat limited. Joshi looked quite happy at the end of her performance, but that was before she saw three underrotations and a full downgrade.

Off to the Grand Prix Final!

I was all but ready to simply hand Carolina Kostner the title, given how everything seems to work in this world, but things weren't quite so simple. I'm not sure what's up with her knee, but whatever it is seems to be bad enough that she purposely left out the flip and Lutz from her program. As usual she skated with great speed, and opened with a decent enough triple toe loop and a double Axel, but then singled her second double Axel. Carolina did two combination spins right after each other, followed by a good triple Salchow. After this came a dramatic fall on a triple loop and a second triple loop popped into a double. An ignorable spiral sequence and straight-line step sequence was followed by a forward-leaning triple Salchow with a desperate single toe loop + single loop tacked on to create her only combination of the program. Carolina's final spin had some lovely moments, but her music ended suddenly and on a soft note. I suppose that summarizes her performance.

Maybe I was doing myself a favor by ignoring the Grand Prix...

P.S. Every single Gilles needs to permanently retire, then use the money saved to go on a long family vacation.

2010 Skate America: More or Less Than the Sum of Their Parts

Yes, for the Pairs Free Skate I actually decided to watch all of the competing teams. Here we go.

Stacey Kemp & David King went first with an awkward and almost dangerous program. The best that the commentators could come up with during their short and long programs was that Stacey designs their costumes. That's lovely, but it has nothing to do with their actual skating.


They opened with a split triple twist that ended in a crash and a near-fall from Stacey. David then stepped out of their side-by-side double jumps--seriously, they can't find a way to manage triple toe loops or something? She did manage to land a throw triple toe, but despite some very audible counting by David their side-by-side spins traveled and went a bit off. Their slow music did nothing to help their slow combination spin along, and I believe I heard all of one person clap after they came out of it. Stacey & David's star lift had a nice position but was also slow, and then she followed it up by falling on a throw triple loop and leaving out the second jump of their side-by-side double jump combination. They ended their program with two lifts sandwiching a death spiral, and I guess all I can say is that the last 45 seconds was probably the best of their performance.

I don't really understand how a team unable to do side-by-side triple jumps even decided to compete at the senior level internationally. What is the point? To throw money and time away? Despite having been together for years, their unison is off and there is no chemistry between them. Surely two people in their 20s have better things to do with their lives.

The next team was Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir, who were skating to Avatar and really decided to dress the part. The thing about Simon is that he's tall. Like, really tall--the kind of tall I tend to discriminate against. Anyway, this makes for some amazing pairs skills, and they skated with really impressive speed into a huge split triple twist. They followed this with a nice lasso lift, although they both had problems on their following side-by-side triple toes. This didn't seem to bother them much as they launched into a more or less clean side-by-side double toe + double toe combination. Then came their big attempt: a throw triple Axel. Marissa really stumbled out on the landing (to the point where I thought it would be considered a fall), but it was so close to being landed. You could see her rotating straight in the air, but then it fell apart.

The timing on their side-by-spins was also a little off, and their combination spin positions sometimes looked a little forced despite great flexibility from Marissa because she is so tiny compared to Simon. Then came some odd character acting by Simon.

After a nice lift that really showed off his strength, the pair pulled off a huge throw triple Salchow that covered so much distance and had so much height. And take a look at her position on their rotational lift:


Their speed and energy throughout was really impressive, and on and off the ice they looked like so much fun. No wonder--a personal best score can have that effect!

Third to skate was Felicia Zhang & Taylor Toth, whom I've been really interested in since they won Junior Nationals last year in their first season together. Since then, though, they seem to have hit a number of obstacles--obstacles that can be addressed, but only if they decide they really want to.

Felicia and Taylor were individually meant to be pairs skaters. She is bubbly and personable, tiny and fearless. He is kind and thoughtful, strong and protective. For some reason, though, Felicia seems determined to continue skating singles as well, which--and I love her as a person so I feel bad saying this at all, except everybody knows it--is not going anywhere and never really will. And so it is time for them to buckle down and focus on becoming the top pair in the United States, which given the current field is not actually such a huge task.

But since she is still skating singles and their partnership is still pretty young, they crashed on their split triple twist (must all programs always open with a split triple twist?). Their strength at the moment--their singles elements--also deserted them, as Taylor stumbled on the triple toe of their triple toe + double toe sequence, Felicia fell on the double toe, and their synchronization fell apart sometime in between. Their first lift went well, but their side-by-side spins was when it got really scary. They started their flying camels way too close to each other, and Felicia pulled out of it to avoid becoming the next Elena Berezhnaya.

To their credit, Felicia & Taylor brushed this aside and landed a great throw triple Salchow, though something very odd happened in the exit of their next lift. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it did not go the way it was planned. Felicia then landed a throw triple loop leaning forward, and the pair followed this with a decent lift and off-timed side-by-side double Axels. There really wasn't much reason for their double Axels to not be synchronized, except for whatever reason Taylor hung around just a bit too long.

I loved Felicia's back position in this spin, though.

I love Felicia & Taylor, I really do. But this was a painful performance to watch on so many levels, and I can only hope that it catalyzes some major changes.

Then it was Ksenia Stoblova & Fedor Klimov, with Ksenia dressed like a French maid who ran out of material. The moment the music came on, it was Daisuke Takahashi 2009-2010 all over again, except more poorly performed. Their opening split double (surprise!) twist was fine, overlooking the fact that it was a double, but she fell on their throw triple flip. A great and original element was their triple toe + double toe + double toe three-jump combination, which was done with good synchronization if not with great flow out.

The music picked up just as they hit a nice lift, then wandered in and out of synchronization on their side-by-side spins. Despite a slightly forward-leaning landing, Ksenia & Fedor's throw triple Salchow was huge, and then following another lift they did mirror-image double Axels, which I thought was kind of cool.

Better State Farm than Alka-Seltzer.

Wenjing Sui & Cong Han came next, looking juvenile as ever. Random anonymous Asians have been getting angry that people are questioning Wenjing's age (and there does seem to be an argument to be made, I feel), saying that it's racist and rude to assume that just because Asians look relatively young they actually are. I digress, but these accusations are stupid. I don't actually care all that much about this issue, but when people blindly play the race card I always feel the need to say something. Yes, Asians look young, but several points need to be made:

1. Wenjing is not the first Asian the figure skating world has ever seen. The informal suspicions surrounding her age come from years of having developed notions of what of-age Asian females should look like, whether she be Xue Shen or Mao Asada or Michelle Kwan. Wenjing does not look too young because she looks younger than Caydee Denney, she looks too young because she looks younger than Kanako Murakami.
   
2. I am destined to be carded for a long time to come. However, no one who actually interacts with me would believe that I am sixteen or eighteen or whatever age I may or may not look. I carry myself differently than I did as a teenager. My emotional responses are more complex, more thoughtful. My facial expressions come from a deeper place, and I understand the significance of things and events more profoundly.
   Are figure skaters shielded and stunted? Of course they are. But Wenjing's attitude on the ice, and her way of expressing herself through her body and facial language, indicate an immaturity that seems to come simply from a lack of time spent so far in this world.
   
3. Felicia also does not look seventeen. Yet no one questions her age because the United States does not have a history of fabricating ages.
   

Anyway... Wenjing & Cong, looking juvenile as ever in ill-advised bumblebee costumes despite skating to Charlie Chaplin. Robin Szolkowy looked positively ancient warming up next to them.


Whatever age this pair might be, there's no arguing that their technical content is all there. Unlike the previous pairs, Wenjing & Cong started with a double Axel + double Axel sequence, then did a (two-footed) throw quad Salchow. Their side-by-side triple toes were a little far apart, but then their side-by-side spins were almost dangerously close. The second throw, a triple flip, was huge, as was their (finally!) split triple twist. The lifts and spins left to the end of their program really benefited from Wenjing's flexibility.

They skated with good speed and energy throughout, and really delivered for being so inexperienced. Good for them.

Absurd.

Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett, continuing their more mature look this season, came out next in blue costumes with silver rhinestone trim. I would say they were beautiful, but Caydee's hair and makeup (as well as the feathery fringe on the bottom of her skirt--what?) renders this an impossible task. I also wish they didn't shove Rhapsody in Blue into our faces by dressing in blue, but whatever, I guess.

They started with a decent split triple twist followed by side-by-side triple toes, and then pulled off a strong throw triple Lutz. Caydee & Jeremy had good union on both their single Axel + double Axel sequence and their fast side-by-side combination spins, and kept up this speed into a lift and a throw triple loop that ended in a fall. The thing that stood out for me with this pair was their attention to positions at the end of elements--Caydee in particular made a point to extend all the way out to her fingertips when coming out of lifts and spins.

Because Canada needs someone to be overrated at every competition, Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch, second after the Short Program, skated next. They're just so unremarkable I don't know what to say. They skated to Les Miserables in what I thought was traditional German costume for Kirsten and toy soldier costume for Dylan.


They had a good split triple twist followed immediately by a double toe + double Axel sequence. Kirsten put one hand slightly down on an almost out-of-control throw triple loop. After a decent lift, Kirsten & Dylan both stepped out of their side-by-side triple Salchows in perfect unison. Some forgettable spins and lifts later, they did a very late throw triple Salchow immediately followed by side-by-side combination spins that started out fast and together but soon lost its synchronization. One last lift later, this utterly average program came to an end.

Well, I'll say one thing for them: they've achieved more closeness and chemistry in a year and a half than Stacey & David have in more than seven years. I really need some top teams to slap them back into their places, though.

Skate America saved the tackiest for last in this competition. It's a good thing Aliona Savchenko has an amazing body and even more amazing self-confidence, because otherwise there wouldn't even be half an excuse for a hot pink body suit in emulation of the Pink Panther. Robin Szolkowy, meanwhile, was dressed like an airline pilot with pajama pants.

You know, people think Japan is weird, but Germany puts up a very good fight.

Fortunately for Aliona & Robin, they can get away with outfits like these because their skating speaks for itself. Their first element, a throw triple flip, was absolutely huge and was rewarded by +3 and +2 GOEs across the board. There's always a judge who needs to disagree and hand out the lone -1, but not in this case. Then came a side-by-side triple toe + triple toe sequence, although Robin just barely managed to not step out of the second jump. Their side-by-side combination spins lost unison by the end, but when they were together, they were amazing.

Aliona & Robin's split triple twist came in the middle of their program, after their spiral sequence, and was followed curiously by side-by-side double Salchows. They left their visually impressive lifts to the end, topped off with a last-second throw triple Salchow, but I'm still not sure what their program was actually about. No matter, though, since they blew away the second-place Canadians by more than 20 points.

Skate America 2010: He Who Falls Least?

Okay, I tried to give everyone an equal chance by watching the entirety of the Short Program. The Free Skate is a much longer time commitment, though, so I needed to make an executive decision, especially on a Monday night. The only performance I could be missing out on seems to be Kevin van der Perren's, and we all know how I feel about him.

So, I began with Denis Ten, who wore a pretty black-and-white costume with rhinestone accents. This is probably a bad thing because I described it as "pretty," and indeed with a few tweaks it could have turned into a ladies costume (or a Johnny Weir suit). But whatever, his costume was the least of his problems. Denis fell spectacularly on his first two jumps, both of which were triple Axels, then stepped out and touched his hand down on the triple toe of his triple Lutz + triple toe combination. 0 for 3 jumping passes turned into 0 for 4 when he took a hard fall on his triple flip following a mediocre step sequence, and then finally--finally!--he pulled off a clean triple loop. Then came both hands down on a triple Lutz, a fought-for triple Salchow, and a fifth fall on a double Axel. This was, as Rafael Nadal might say, "an amazing disaster." Wow. Poor kid--an eleventh-place 111.61.

Is Frank Carroll smiling? Absurd!

D-Daisuke was next (I can also call him B-Murakami, but D-Daisuke has a better ring), looking like he'd raided the ribbon section of a Christmas store for that one last accessory. The first thing that was noticeable about his performance was his speed. He came racing out the moment the music came on, and nailed a triple Lutz + triple toe combination (he did get an e call on his Lutz, though--do any Japanese skaters actually know how to do a Lutz? I was pretty sure both Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda could do them, but they also got edge calls here too. Maybe the Technical Caller was just being mean to balance out whichever clown was calling Skate Canada.). D-Daisuke's triple Axel + double toe combination was smooth, as was his triple flip. His spins could be faster and his steps more exciting, but he did at least maintain his speed throughout the program. D-Daisuke added a triple Axel and a triple Salchow, but then put both hands down on a triple loop, which was sad since it doesn't look like he has any conditioning issues. He did keep his head on well enough to finish off with a triple toe and a double Axel, as well as a step sequence and two steps. D-Daisuke looked incredibly pleased, which is always cute to see.

135.99!

The commentator (Tonia Kwiatkowski) could not deal with the fact that D-Daisuke used to skate for the United States and now represents Japan. She went out of her way to mention that he was a two-time recipient of the Michael Weiss Foundation award, which was "specifically created" to help the development of "American skaters." Hah.

Also, I'm not sure why the triple loop was judged as a fall, since neither of D-Daisuke's knees touched the ice. Is the rule both hands, and I'm just mis-remembering it?

Armin Mahbanoozadeh skated to music from Avatar, but was thankfully tasteful enough not to paint his face blue or to even go for an annoying eye-catching hue. (The music also turned out to be quite good). He replaced a planned quad with a triple toe, but it was a good jump, and he followed this with a great triple Axel. Armin then did a triple Lutz + double toe combination with one arm up on the toe loop (Adam Rippon jealousy?). I'm not sure I would call his triple Axel + double toe combination "excellent" à la Tonia Kwiatkowski, but clean it was. So was his triple flip out of a spread eagle, and his following combination spin was nice and fast. I wasn't completely enthralled by the program, but you can tell that all of the parts are there--he just needs to go for it more. After a nice triple Salchow came a popped triple Lutz, but Armin had the presence of mind to still tack on a double toe and double loop at the end of it. He didn't let this bother him, though, and finished off with another fast combination spin.

A tasteful character costume. Plus an amazing smile.

Priscilla Hill switches scarves to match her students' costumes...?

Adam Rippon, who the commentators all but said was guaranteed a medal here after the Short Program, came out and delivered one of the worst performances I've seen from him in a long, long time, if not ever. A planned opening triple Axel turned into a popped single Axel with a half-hearted single toe loop tacked on, and although he managed to pull off a double Axel as well as his trademark two-armed triple Lutz afterwards, the program never came alive. For some reason the ever-talking Kwiatkowski commended Adam's second triple Axel attempt with a "good for him," even though it ended with a hand down (it's not like he could start modifying things at this stage anyway, unless he wants to be the next Nobunari Oda and screw himself over). He then did a triple flip + triple toe loop combination, quickly followed by a Besti squat-type position into a one-armed triple Lutz + single toe loop + double loop combination. Bizarre. Adam's problems continued with a fall on a triple loop (which I now see was actually called as a double loop, so a double whammy there), although he managed a triple Salchow. Somehow he put on a smile interspersed with some serious and disappointed looks.

"Oh my god, I don't know what happened," Adam said to Brian Orser in disbelief. His seventh-place 129.18 put him in second behind Armin.

The best part of his skate? Some fan screaming "Love you, Brian!" You can bet it wasn't a Korean.

I would say something about A-Daisuke's costume, but I think I've seen so many of them that it doesn't even register. Pinkish frills down the front of his shirt? No problem. His triple toe had more a problem, as he stepped out of it, but he came back to hit a forward-leaning triple Axel and a smooth triple loop.

No A-Daisuke program would be complete without at least an "I'm amazing" moment, and this came with every head snap in his circular step sequence. Classic. Kwiatkowski was merciful and American enough to call it "personality."

The circular step sequence, though, was amazing. Next came a forward-landed triple flip + double toe combination, a fall on a triple Axel (cue collective Japanese gasp), an "unusual" flying layback spin, and an edge-called triple Lutz. With his great conditioning, A-Daisuke is not one to shy away from back-loading his programs, and after the Lutz he landed a triple Salchow and a triple Lutz + double toe combination with a poor flow out. A straight-line step sequence and a combination spin later, A-Daisuke was finally freed from this uncomfortable-looking performance. It seems to be too early in the season for him to be really comfortable with it yet, and he shook his head with dissatisfaction at the end.

俺、カッコイイだろ？

I can't even bring myself to talk about Nobunari Oda. I've lost count of how many times he's had victory in his hands, only to throw it all away by poor judgment in the heat of the moment. How many times can he possibly do invalid jump combinations and repeat the same jumps? His ancestor from seventeen generations ago needs to fight his way out of his grave and cut Nobunari down until he gets the point. A lost national title, 2006 Olympics berth, and potential World medal haven't been enough? And he's supposed to raise a son. Sheesh. I want to shake him.

Cup of China 2010: Never Pick Against a Future Husband

I may be willfully ignoring the Grand Prix, but not enough to not notice this:

He's still a bit shy about his skating, it seems, but his skating skills are so beautiful and his costumes are so perfectly understated. Hopefully he'll be a good influence on Mao Asada...

Also, the little eyebrow twitch at the end of his skate is priceless. So is Nobuo Sato sprinting around the rink.

NHK Trophy 2010: Thank God For the Time Difference

Usually, the 13- or 14-hour time difference between the East Coast and Japan creates a lot of logistic difficulties in my life, but for once this halfway-around-the-world business is proving to be quite helpful. In fact, it may directly contribute to the survival of my heart past the age of say, 25.

Although a lot of different headlines find their way into the rotation that is all Yahoo! pages, I definitely was not expecting to see 「真央『思い切りやる』３回転半ぶっつけ本番」when I went to go check my Japanese e-mail. First of all, I did not know that anyone other than my mother actually used ぶっつけ本番. Second of all ,WHAT?

浅田は練習でも成功していない、演技後半に３回転半ジャンプ（トリプルアクセル）を入れるプログラムにぶっつけ本番で挑むことを誓った。

I have the utmost respect for and faith in Nobuo Sato, but seriously? This free skate plan might be even more idiotic than Tatiana Tarasova's grand schemes for using the triple Axel. Isn't Mao supposed to be working on her other jumps so she doesn't have to set up for certain disaster, and in the second half of her program no less? I am so, so glad that this will all happen while I am asleep. Lord.

In fact, my love for Mao and her successes is such that I am glad for the time difference even after seeing pictures like this:

http://photography.ice-dance.com/2010-11/2010NHK/Dance/Practice/ThursPM/10NHK-PrThPM-0317-DW-LC.jpg.php

Sometimes, I can hardly comprehend their existence. They may just be the team that singularly redeems the Short Dance.

And so... I am soon going to bed. See you, Short Program, during some downtime (HAH) at work.

Vancouver 2010: Ladies

For the sake of my longevity and emotional well-being I did not watch the ladies' event. However I have seen certain programs online, read reviews, and looked at the protocols, and my opinion remains unchanged:

• The judging system is crap. There is no way a given jump should receive +1 from one judge and -2 from another. It doesn't matter whether judges value different things--there should be a protocol that lists that qualities make a good jump, and within that the judges should be free to weigh the merit, for example, a jump's height vs. its outflow. However no judge should be able to decide that a jump was -2 GOE because it was low even if it was clean and flowy, while another decides that it was +1 because it was clean and flowy. Just no. Any given element should have a spread of 2 points, MAYBE 3.
  
• I do not disagree with the final placements. That being said, I firmly believe that Yu-na Kim was overscored. She is not the only one (see: ice dance), but sometime during these Olympics the judges decided that it was less about scoring what they saw as it was giving as many points as possible to the executed elements so that these Games could be remembered as one where all world records fell. This is not a game of "Who can give more points?" Oh, wait. This is essentially the same point as above: the judging system is crap. WAKE UP, ISU.
• Someone please get Mao Asada out of Tatiana Tarasova's grip. Tarasova is a brilliant coach who has worked wonders with many skaters, and her relationship with Mao seems very sweet, but I just don't think that she is leading Mao on the right trajectory. I feel like her skating's characteristic airiness has been completely suppressed, and with it her consistency and cute costuming have disappeared. It's painful to watch. JSF, I'm counting on you.
  

Vancouver 2010: Men's FS

Oh, my god. I can actually breathe, think clearly, and write now. Watching figure skating gives me a cardio workout (so there, doctor who thinks I lack exercise) but also takes significant years off my life. Perhaps those two effects can cancel each other out.

The evening started out with a bit of unsurprised, exasperated anger, as NBC thought that it would much rather air the women's halfpipe finals live than even take 5 minutes to cut to Jeremy Abbott's FS. They did end up showing him on tape delay right before the last two groups skated, and I guess in a way it was a good thing, because we all had time to emotionally prepare for the fact that his Olympic experience was just not to be. He did well to pull himself up to 9th after a 16th-place SP, but all in all it was just a sad thing to see.

NBC did not bother airing Brian Joubert's skate at all, but that was also probably for the best. Poor guy.

The first skater they actually showed live was my favorite, Takahiko Kozuka. Let it be known that I have been a fan since before his bandwagon existed. Anyway, I thought he gave a great performance despite falling on a triple Axel--it was the first time I'd seen him really land a quad, even though he two-footed it, and the rest of his jumps were more or less solid (a couple of nervous landings, but nothing major... and far fewer shaky landings than Evgeny Plushenko would later make). Takahiko's smile at the end of his program was just adorable, and I'm really happy that his Olympic debut was such a positive one (8th overall). Hopefully he can build on this experience for Worlds and also 2014.

I had no idea Dennis Ten was still only 16. There was a lot about his program that was iffy, but there was also a lot that showed potential for 2014 and maybe even 2018. The poor kid's face was plastered with foundation or something, but I suppose that's not quite his fault.

NBC skipped Kevin van der Perren (perhaps his skeleton costume scared them away for good?), so the next skater I saw was Florent Amodio. There was a great backstory about being abandoned in Brazil, his home country, and being discovered at an ice rink at age 4 after being adopted by a French couple. His program was set to the soundtrack of "Amelie," although people in the JCR were convinced it was some sort of remix, and I didn't quite get how the theme of his costume was related. There was cute paint touches on his face and he was very much in "character," but his jumps weren't quite there.

I believe the first real OMG of the night was Patrick Chan. What a lucky Canadian mess. His triple Lutz was off and he fell on his triple Axel, but lo and behold, the magic of the Canadian prop gave him PCS that were nearly through the roof. Ta-da! He moves up 2 spots overall to place 5th. In the end he would go on to defeat Daisuke Takahashi and Johnny Weir in the FS, which is just ridiculous. I am so glad his arrogant face stopped off of the podium.

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I didn't realize Michal Brezina was Michal Brezina until about 30 seconds left in his program. I saw the shock of white-blond hair and just sort of assumed he was a random European who had made it into the top 12, and didn't quite pay attention. So, sadly, all I remember about him is a pale pink sweater vest.

And then came Evan Lysacek, the second OMG of the night. I used to be somewhere between indifferent and vaguely positive about his skating, but now it is just one big NO. Snarky bloggers are right--he IS an overtanned Ken doll. With overgrown limbs, I might add. Anyway, while this may make me a bad person I kept willing him to fall, and it just never happened. I think there is something to be said about him playing it safe and not going for the quad in the biggest competition in figure skating, but at the same time he played it smart. And it worked. If only it hadn't...

I was about 75% nervous and 25% calm when Nobunari Oda took to the ice. I inadvertently squealed and everyone sort of gave me a brief look. Then they thankfully forgot about it and instead started commenting on how small and young he is, even though the entire room was younger than him. There was something oddly tight about his performance and I kept wanting him to turn it on and bring it, but just as I looked away in a combination of nervousness and the need to do some work, he did something extremely odd on his triple loop and broke a lace. At first I thought he was hurt and got very scared, but then realized it was just a broken lace even though Scott Hamilton was hinting at all sorts of dire physical things. Apparently these issues are now penalized 2.00, and so it was no surprise that Nikolai Morozov was waiting by the boards, redder than ever. He sort of stood around looking o while two Japanese officials knelt down and worked some kind of magic to get the lace re-tied and Nobunari back onto the ice within 3 minutes. He finished his program well, all considered, but it was just a sad and bizarre way to end an Olympic FS. In the Kiss & Cry, Nikolai at least made an attempt to be comforting by patting Nobunari on the back several times, but all along his face was a large red :|. Sadly this dropped Nobunari to 7th overall after being 4th after the SP. At this point I started to consider not watching Daisuke skate at all.

Stephane Lambiel gave me a much-needed breather, because the idea of Daisuke skating next was wreaking havoc with my blood pressure. Stephane went for the quad toe twice and more or less got them, although with -GOE, to make up for the fact that he lacks a triple Axel. I still can't get over that. None of his other jumps were really that spectacular, but his step sequence and spins of course were rated very highly. I seriously cannot understand this, but he somehow clawed his way into 4th place overall, helped by some massive PCS. Aargh.

A very strange calm came over me as Daisuke began to skate in a somewhat ill-advised costume. However this all disappeared the moment he went into his quad toe, because I KNEW it was a bad idea all along and of course he fell. I gave some sort of spastic scream and ran from the JCR. I understand that he wanted to put together a perfect program that challenged everything he has, but at the same time he KNEW that he didn't need the quad to win. Of the top 3 men after the SP only Plushenko had attempted a quad, and yet they were virtually tied. AAAHH his coach should have stopped him. AAAHH. Anyway I went back into the JCR shortly after that, but didn't actually watch anything because I was too scared and was talking to people on Gchat, then quickly ran out again. People in the JCR must think I'm insane. Sorry, everyone. I gave myself two minutes before returning to the JCR to hear the commentators talking about how he really rebounded, but we all knew all was lost. His PCS were the highest of the night--well-deserved, I believe, but still not good enough. I couldn't believe he actually placed behind Stephane in the FS, but the strength of his SP managed to keep him in 2nd behind Evan.

Although there is a lot about Johnny Weir that bothers me, I have a newfound appreciation for his quality of skating, especially compared to Evan's. He did not go for a quad even though he had talked about it (did anybody believe him?), and instead churned out one triple after another. There was a strange stumble in his footwork and he came out of his spin too early, but otherwise it was a great performance and despite Daisuke's 8-point lead I was legitimately afraid that Johnny would beat him. Yet my fears were unfounded because the politics were out in full force, and he ended up behind both Stephane and Patrick. Unbelievable. As much as I was secretly hoping Johnny would make mistakes, I believe that Johnny was severely underscored and should have come in 4th overall (realistically speaking, the gap between him and the top 3 was too large), and his FS should have been 2nd or 3rd. Rafael was seriously going to kill someone. Actually, he probably still is.

I am not sure what I was hoping for when Evgeny began to skate. On one hand I am not a fan of his skating, but on the other this was the difference between Evan being the gold medalist or not being the gold medalist. It just sort of seemed like Evgeny winning would indicate that all things are the way they should be in the skating world, like it or not. However there was something off about him throughout the performance and I am personally surprised his FS was good enough for 2nd. Yes, he did a quad toe + triple toe combination, but most of his other jumps were either tilted in the air or had forced landings, or both. For whatever reason Scott Hamilton was extremely complimentary about Evgeny's ability to land things, although I feel that if it had been another skater he would have been all over with the criticisms. Evgeny made some extremely strange attempts at choreography and artistry, wagging his hips and shoulders at random times and blowing kisses to the crowd. I think only Johnny can pull that off. A part of me still had faith in the power of the Eastern European bloc, but by the time he finished it was evident that it was not his night. NBC cut to a shot of Evan with the most sickening smirk I have ever seen, and then back to Evgeny who looked sad and strangely red. Sure enough, his performance was only second best, and Evan's celebrations began. Scott made some unfounded remarks about how the "hardest worker" or the "best trained competitor" won. He's been making references to Evan's work ethic throughout, and while I don't doubt that Evan works hard I also don't doubt that Scott has no comparative data. I just think that it's offensive and insensitive to the other skaters out there who put in their best efforts every day but just don't reach the top, or rather, just don't reach NBC's fluff radar. Once they have an idea, they run with it. Like Evgeny's driving scenes. And oh yeah, I think a skater with 1 Olympic gold and 2 silvers would know a thing or two about "hard work."

There is some I could say on NBC's camera work during the medal ceremony, but whatever. I hope this means that there is some karma for the ladies' competition, and I am still unreasonably hoping that the men's result has no effect on ice dance.

Yeah, right.

And of course, congratulations, Daisuke Takahashi, for winning Japan's first-ever Olympic medal in men's figure skating.